Special Service and Features
IIT Madras to organize G20 Seminar on ‘Role of Digital Technology in Education’
It is being organised as part of India’s Presidency of G20 with a key objective being to identify areas/themes for promoting possible research & academic collaboration among educational institutions in G20 member countries
Indian Institute of Technology Madras  will organise a G20 Seminar on ‘Role of Digital Technology in Education’ at its Research Park on 31st January 2023. It is intended to identify policies for effective use of digital technology in education in the G20 member countries.
The G20 Seminar will be held at IIT Madras Research Park  as part of ‘Sherpa Track – 1st Education Working Group Meeting’ in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from 31st January 2023 to 2nd February 2023. The Education Working Group, under India’s Presidency of G20, has a key objective to identify areas/themes to promote possible research and academic collaboration among educational institutions in G20 member countries.
Further, an exhibition with 50 stalls is also being organized as part of this grand event at IITMRP. These stalls will encompass research, innovation and skill-based topics. The delegates from the participating nations would also be visiting IIT Madras Campus and will learn about the evolution of the Institute over the years, from the newly-revamped IIT Madras Heritage Centre.
They will also gain an exposure to the cutting-edge research underway at IIT Madras ‘Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre’ and the innovations happening at the student-run Centre for Innovation , where students work on projects outside their curriculum. This will be followed by an extensive cultural parade in the campus, which will showcase the rich cultural diversity of the nation.
Addressing a Press Conference in the campus today , Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “It is a great honour for the Institute to host this prestigious international seminar on an area of immense societal importance such as Education and use of digital technology. The Institute has a rich history of leveraging digital technology for education. IIT Madras in 2020 had launched the world’s first BS degree in Programming and Data Science offered in online mode, which democratized access to quality education by removing barriers.”
Prof. Kamakoti added, “The G20 seminar will focus on strengthening the use of digital technologies to enhance student learning opportunities and outcomes and leverage digital technologies for the education of special children. The participants will also share best practices relating to the use of digital technologies to promote inclusive and equitable quality education in G20 member countries.”
The discussions during the seminar will focus on how digital technologies could be used effectively to expand student learning opportunities and learning outcomes and to respond to the challenges each country faces in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4  targets of achieving inclusive and quality education for all.
The Participants of this seminar include
- Members of the G20 Education Working Group from each G20 member country, guest countries, and International Organizations.
- Representatives of select academic institutions in G20 member countries that are engaged in initiatives for promoting the use of digital technologies for ensuring quality learning opportunities for all and improving learning outcomes.
- Representatives of international organizations such as UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, and OECD, among others
- Representatives of knowledge partners from India
During the past few years, all G20 member countries have made significant progress in expanding digital technologies for improving educational access and the teaching-learning process. In view of SDG4-Education 2030 agenda, it is imperative that the remarkable advances relating to digital technology is harnessed to transform educational systems to improve learning outcomes, promote lifelong learning and narrow persistent learning deficits.
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